India and US trade barbs over report of ‘ties to inner circle’ of Modi in Sikh separatist’s murder plot

A report that accused top intelligence officials of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s “inner circle” of beinginvolved in the failed assassination bid of a US citizen has sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

An investigative report by the Washington Post, citing dozens of current and former officials in the US and India, linked Mr Modi’s government to theassassination attempt of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannunon US soil in the spring of 2023.

The report followed last year’s US Justice Department’s indictment of Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, allegedly hired to commit murder-for-hire ofMr Pannun, who is a designated terrorist in India.

India had, at that time, expressed concern about the linkage and dissociated itself saying it would form an inquiry committee to investigate the concerns and take “necessary follow-up action” on the findings.

The report on Monday claimed the assassination was ordered by Samant Goel, the previous chief of the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the country’s spy agency, and was sanctioned by senior intelligence officials. It is for the first time that Mr Goel’s name – earlier withheld in the Justice Department indictment of November 2023 – was made public.

The report claimed that an officer in the RAW, identified as Vikram Yadav, was also involved in the assassination plot of Mr Pannun.

The US State Department said it expected accountability from the Indian government on the investigation and will raise concerns directly with senior level officials.

In a press briefing on Monday, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said: “We continue to expect accountability from the government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committee’s work,